Forgotten Stories of history Part 1

April 28th, 1945. The Russians had encircled Berlin entirely. The War was almost over but the Reich wanted to push the Russians out of Berlin.
Pictured above is Walther Wenck, aka the Boy General, Co-Commander of the 12th Army. The Youngest General in the Third Reich, and just as honorable as Rommel, he was both admired and ridiculed by his peers and fellow soldiers.
He, like Rommel, held no love for Nazi Ideals, but for Germany. And he would willingly give his life for Germany, even if it meant betraying Hitler. He was rumored to had participated or knew of Operation Valkyre (the plot to kill Hitler) but there is no proof.
He was one of the youngest of the Nazi Hierarchy and one of the few commanders not tried for War Crimes. He valued the lives of civilians over his orders and often bashed heads with his Co-Cmmander. But that is not the focus of this story.
He saved thousands upon thousands of german civilians and troops from death by disobeying direct orders from Hitler himself to stop the Russians and push them back out of Berlin.
With the help of the remainder of The 9th Army, he had his men cut a hole in the Russian defenses large enough so the Germans could flee and surrender to the United States Army.
To him and his men, the war was over. The Reich was all but dead, and there was nothing they could do but try to save as many people as possible. It was about protecting the people at that point, and he was willing to sacrifice everything to make sure the people would be safe.
He was one of the last men to cross the river Elbe, and one of the few who never received harsh punishment for his involvement in the war. He deserves the credit for these actions.

Pictured above is all that remained of the 9th Army after the final push to evacuate the civilians and soldiers and the surrender to the US.
Now why is this story so important?
Because the Russians were in no way shape or size kind. They raped any woman they came across, murdered entire German towns, killed civilians simply for being German, and took no prisoners.
To them, anyone not actively fighting their enemy were scum. And anyone that wasn't fighting deserved to die for aiding the enemy. It is still debated today whether the Red Army or the Nazis were worse due to the immense body count and cruelty from both.
So Wenk evacuated the Civilians first, then his men, and then himself on the last boat. It was the only plan where more bloodshed would be avoided, and they disobeyed direct orders to hold the line and push the Russians back so they could keep the people safe.
Wenck and the 12th Army never received any of the praise they deserved for these actions. They never received any medals. They were barely remembered in the History books. Only those truly immersed in the History and cruelty of The Second World War remember their story.